I’ve rarely lived alone and have no desire to. It doesn’t take living in a separate house to feel isolated. All those years in the convent taught me that. We had rules back when that forbade us to get close to anyone. . . even one another. The only one we were encouraged to get closer to was God, and that could be pretty lonely. That was often my experience, even though I was surrounded by nuns.

Loneliness is a recurring theme in my yet-to-be-published book, Once Upon a Convent

Living alone and being alone are two different things. I have lived alone and do so now, but I am not alone. I admit that some days I feel a little lonely, but dear ones are not far away. A phone call, email or Skype put them near me.